Fourth Kingdom: Flying Dragons Among Us

Kowalsk was running like a desperate madman. He didn't want to give up, but he couldn't keep running anymore; he was not only extremely tired but also wounded and hungry. Meanwhile, his pursuer was in excellent shape, perfectly healthy, but also very hungry. Except for the hunger, the discrepancy between the two was enormous.

Kowalsk was 49 years old and until two years ago, he had been in great shape, having served several years in his country's army. Since then, he had never stopped exercising. His body, once muscular, with biceps and pecs that made many gym-goers envious, was now just a shadow of what it had been before. Despite this, he could still be fast, but his short breath gave him no advantage.

His pursuer, on the other hand, was only two years old and almost at the peak of its strength. It was as quick and nimble as a squirrel, except it was larger than an elephant, and as if that wasn't enough, it had excellent stamina and could fly very well.

Then the creature swooped down, grabbing Kowalsk by the shoulders, and with its sharp claws, pierced him immediately, making blood spurt out. The old ex-soldier screamed so loudly that he attracted the attention of other winged creatures nearby. Kowalsk's tormentor was taken by surprise by creatures like itself, except they lacked its experience in aerial combat.

Even so, it ended up wounded, and to better defend itself, it opened its claws, releasing its future meal, which rolled down a slope, screaming and cursing incoherently. After a few seconds of pain and agony, all Kowalsk could perceive was that he was in the middle of a pile of trash and rot.

The creature, which had not yet shown any signs of attacking its adversaries, saw Kowalsk trying to get up to flee. With a quick flap of its wings and a dominant alpha scream, it scared them off and dove again to recapture its prey. After all, it was hungry and hadn't had a decent meal for days. It would fight for the territory later or simply rest after the meal.

Kowalsk knew he wouldn't have another chance like that to escape. He had long discovered that luck doesn't knock twice on the same door. So, ignoring the pain in his pierced shoulders, he got up as quickly as he could and started running desperately again.

The fear of ending up in the claws of that creature was immense, primarily because that type of creature usually played with its meal first, then tore it apart piece by piece, feeding slowly just to bring more suffering and agony to the unfortunate hunted victim. Kowalsk had witnessed this type of scene many times, always arriving too late to help.

Those were good times when he still had his long-range rifle, but even then, he often arrived too late. Generally, all he could do was relieve the suffering of the agonizing victim, which left the creatures somewhat disappointed to see their prey no longer suffering. Kowalsk knew the tricks of entering, eliminating, and leaving a place without leaving traces or evidence of his passage. And most importantly, he always maintained a good, safe distance, preferably against the wind.

But unfortunately, one day he slipped up and got too close to the creature's den. When he fired the shot to relieve his victim, the creature saw the flash from the rifle barrel, and within less than half a minute, he was discovered. With great effort, he managed to escape with his life, but unfortunately, the finger he used to pull the trigger became dessert for the creature, which has been hunting him from time to time ever since.

Thinking about all this, Kowalsk kept running, even knowing his chances were minimal, he didn't want to give up. His body moved with difficulty, and with each step, he felt heavier as his blood gushed out, further staining his old military jacket. He no longer felt his arms; after all, the venom was coursing through his veins, threatening to darken his vision drastically.

However, his hearing was still good, and he could perfectly hear a mix of squawks and roars coming his way. He also managed to distinguish the frantic flapping of wings and their sudden halt right behind him. Yet, Kowalsk continued running, staggering, but he didn't stop. He felt his escape was almost useless, but he was a warrior, and even without legs, he wouldn't give up.

Suddenly, he felt a bite on one of his legs. He fell and this time didn't get up, only managing a victorious smile. He would die happy because he knew he was the only one who had given those creatures so much trouble. He had managed to kill some of them when they were still young, as easy as taking candy from a baby. But after they started growing excessively, none of the ammunition he stored could penetrate the hide of those beasts.

Thinking about this, his smile grew larger; he would die, indeed, but those nasty creatures he eliminated wouldn't harm anyone else. Kowalsk was crawling blindly and didn't even know where he was going. He had lost all sense of direction, and with the wounds on his shoulders and legs, soon there would be no blood left in his battered body.

Unaware if he was coming or going towards the creature, he crawled a few more meters without realizing he was heading towards a sewer with its cover slightly ajar. Hearing the deadly wings approaching to take him on his final ride, Kowalsk panicked, and as soon as the claws touched his back, forcing him to the ground, he was at the edge of the sewer cover.

At that moment, Kowalsk felt the ground shake, and due to the long manufacturing time and sudden pressure, the sewer cover gave way, leading him to a dark underground gallery. The beast, disappointed to lose its meal again, not understanding what had happened, still squealed as if complaining, but soon furiously flapped its large wings and flew off in search of something to eat.